Autistic Savants – Kim Peek

Posted by Rob on 27th March 2014

Autistic Savant – Kim Peek

Kim Peek is an amazing example of how complex Autism is. Kim is an autistic savant around which the movie The Rain Man was written. Kim was born with severe brain damage. His doctor told his father to institutionalise him and forget about him. Kim’s severe developmental disabilities, according to the doctor, would not let him walk let alone learn. Fortunately Kim’s father disregarded the doctor’s advice.

But what Kim can do is astounding: he has read some 12,000 books and remembers everything about them. “Kimputer,” as he is lovingly known to many, reads two pages at once – his left eye reads the left page, and his right eye reads the right page. It takes him about 3 seconds to read through two pages – and he remember everything on them. Kim can recall facts and trivia from 15 subject areas from history to geography to sports. Tell him a date, and Kim can tell you what day of the week it is. He also remembers every music he has ever heard.

Since the movie Rain Man came out, Kim and his father have been traveling across the country for appearances. The interaction turns out to be beneficial for him, as he becomes less shy and more confident.

A clip of his work can be seen here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2T45r5G3kA